Introduction to Digital Accessibility

For information about legal requirements and technical standards, visit Understanding Digital Accessibility Laws and Requirements.

Disability and digital barriers

Disability can affect how a person sees, hears, moves, speaks, reads, processes information, remembers, concentrates, communicates, or interacts with digital technology.

Individual experiences vary. People with similar disabilities may use different tools, settings, and strategies. A person’s abilities or access needs may also change over time or depend on the task and environment.

Digital barriers arise when content or technology assumes that everyone can see, hear, use a mouse, read small text, process information quickly, or interact in the same way.

Common digital barriers include:

• A video without accurate captions.
• An image that communicates important information but has no text alternative.
• A form that cannot be completed without a mouse.
• Text that cannot be enlarged without becoming clipped or overlapping.
• A document with visual headings but no built-in heading structure.
• Instructions or error messages that rely only on color.
• A timed activity that does not allow enough time or an appropriate extension.
• A digital tool that does not work with a screen reader, keyboard, switch device, or voice input.

Video: Understanding Disability and Digital Barriers

Learn more: W3C’s How People with Disabilities Use the Web describes common barriers, tools, and ways people interact with digital technology.

How people access digital content

People access digital content in different ways. Some use standard keyboards, touchscreens, or a mouse. Others use built-in accessibility features, assistive technology, alternative input methods, or personalized display and text settings.

Assistive technology

Assistive technology includes devices, software, features, and services selected or used to help a person with a disability access information, communicate, navigate, or complete a task.

Examples of assistive technology used with digital content include:

• Screen readers.
• Screen magnification.
• Text-to-speech.
• Speech recognition and voice input.
• Refreshable braille displays.
• Switch access.
• Alternative keyboards and pointing devices.
• Augmentative and alternative communication systems.

Accessible technology

Accessible technology is technology designed and developed so people with disabilities can use it, including people who use assistive technology.

Accessible technology may support:

• Keyboard operation.
• Meaningful headings, labels, and reading order.
• Text enlargement and user-selected display settings.
• Captions, transcripts, and audio description.
• Alternative text for images.
• Clear instructions and error messages.
• Compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies.

How accessible and assistive technologies work together

Accessible technology creates a usable foundation. Assistive technology gives a person additional ways to interact with that foundation. 

One does not replace the other. For example, a screen reader can announce a webpage only when the page contains meaningful structure, labels, and text alternatives. A screen reader cannot reliably repair missing headings, unlabeled form controls, or images that have no descriptions. 

Similarly, making general digital content accessible does not eliminate the need for individualized accommodations, accessible formats, or assistive technology that a particular student or employee may require.

Why digital accessibility matters

Digital accessibility matters because it supports:

Equal access
People with disabilities must be able to access information and participate in programs, services, learning, employment, and communication.

Timely access
Building accessibility in from the beginning reduces delays caused by remediation, inaccessible conversions, or the need to recreate information in another format after someone encounters a barrier.

Independent access
Accessible content and technology allow people to complete more tasks using their own technology, settings, and preferred methods of interaction.

Clearer and more flexible communication
Captions, meaningful headings, readable text, keyboard access, and flexible display settings may be essential for people with disabilities and can also help people using small screens, working in noisy environments, experiencing temporary injuries, or managing changing abilities.

Sustainable practice
Templates, procurement requirements, training, and routine checks help prevent the same barriers from being created repeatedly.

Video: Accessibility Is Essential for Some and Useful for Many

This video illustrates how accessibility features can provide essential access for people with disabilities while also supporting people in different environments and situations.

Who has a role?

Digital accessibility is a shared responsibility, but not everyone has the same responsibilities.

• Content creators and educators build accessibility into documents, presentations, instructional materials, email, media, and other content.
• Communications and web staff publish accessible information and maintain accessible public communication channels.
• Technology, procurement, and project staff include accessibility in requirements, product evaluation, implementation, contracts, monitoring, and renewal.
• Leaders and supervisors establish expectations, assign responsibilities, provide resources, and monitor progress.
• Accessibility coordinators and specialized staff provide guidance, training, evaluation support, and escalation when more advanced assistance is needed.
• Platform and product vendors are responsible for designing, documenting, testing, and improving the accessibility of their products.

Accessibility should not be assigned only to information technology, exceptional children staff, or one accessibility specialist. Sustainable implementation requires coordinated participation across the organization.

Visit Find Guidance for Your Role for responsibilities, common questions, and resources connected to different types of work.

What digital accessibility looks like in practice

Accessibility applies to more than public websites. It should be considered whenever digital information, technology, or communication is created, selected, purchased, shared, maintained, or used.

Accessibility and universal design

Universal design is a related approach that plans environments, products, and experiences to reduce barriers for a broad range of people from the beginning.

In digital work, universal design can include flexible ways to perceive information, navigate, interact, communicate, and adjust how content is presented.

In education, Universal Design for Learning applies a related approach to learning design by planning options for engagement, representation, and action or expression.

Accessibility and universal design overlap, but they are not interchangeable. Universal design does not replace:

• Accessibility requirements.
• Individualized accommodations.
• Accessible formats.
• Assistive technology.
• Services identified through an IEP, Section 504 plan, employee accommodation process, or another appropriate process.

General content and technology should be accessible from the beginning. Individualized supports should then address access needs that remain for a particular person.

Video: Introduction to Universal Design

This video introduces universal design as a way to anticipate variation and reduce avoidable barriers during planning and design.

Core principles of digital accessibility

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines organize accessibility around four broad principles. Accessible content should be:

Perceivable
People can receive the information in ways that work for them. Examples include text alternatives for images, captions for video, meaningful structure, and sufficient contrast.

Operable
People can navigate and use the content or controls. Examples include keyboard access, visible focus, sufficient time, clear navigation, and avoiding harmful flashing.

Understandable
Information and interactions are clear and predictable. Instructions, labels, navigation, and error messages help people understand what to do.

Robust
Content is structured so current and future browsers, devices, and assistive technologies can interpret it reliably.

The four principles are often remembered by the acronym POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.

Learn more: W3C’s Accessibility Principles provides examples and connections to the related accessibility requirements.

What should I do first?

Digital accessibility is broad, but the first step does not need to be large. Begin with the task that most closely matches your current work.

1. Choose the task that best matches your work.
   • Create or check digital content: Use the guidance for documents, presentations, PDFs, spreadsheets, images, video, websites, forms, email, social media, and other digital content.
   • Lead or coordinate accessibility work: Use PSU Resources or NCDPI Resources for planning, roles, inventories, training, priorities, barrier response, and monitoring.
   • Purchase or manage digital technology: Use Project Management and Procurement for requirements, vendor documentation, product evaluation, contracts, implementation, monitoring, and renewal.
   • Understand the requirements: Use Understanding Digital Accessibility Laws and Requirements.
2. Begin using the Before You Publish or Share Content checklist.
   • If your work includes creating or sharing content, start with one or two practices that can be incorporated consistently. Examples include using built-in heading styles, writing descriptive links, or checking images for appropriate alternative text.
3. Find out what is already happening in your organization.
   • Ask:
     • Who currently coordinates digital accessibility work?
     • Which policies, procedures, templates, or tools already exist?
     • Where should staff report barriers or ask for help?
     • Which team owns the content, system, platform, or purchase?
   • Check for an existing process before creating a separate one.
4. Select one manageable priority.
   • Examples include:
     • Improving a frequently used document or presentation template.
     • Correcting captions in a current video.
     • Reviewing a high-use webpage or form.
     • Adding accessibility expectations to an upcoming purchase.
     • Checking public access to a shared Google or Microsoft file.
     • Identifying the owner of a high-impact digital service.
   • Accessibility requires sustained improvement. Starting with one meaningful, repeatable practice is more effective than trying to address every type of content at once.

Not sure where your role fits?

Ask these three questions:

Do I create, edit, publish, or share digital materials?
Begin with Creating Accessible Digital Content.

Do I buy, select, recommend, review, implement, or manage digital tools or platforms?
Begin with Project Management and Procurement.

Do I lead, supervise, or coordinate a team, project, program, school, or office?
Begin with PSU Resources or NCDPI Resources, depending on where you work.

Many people will answer yes to more than one question. Visit Find Guidance for Your Role for more targeted responsibilities and resources.

Continue learning

Use these resources when you are ready for the next step:

• Create or check digital content: practical guidance organized by content type.
• Find guidance for your role: responsibilities, questions, and resources connected to different types of work.
• Find professional learning and training: current sessions, recordings, presentation materials, and related learning resources.
• Resources for public school units: planning and implementation tools for PSU teams.
• Resources for NCDPI staff: internal agency resources and processes.
• NCADEMI Accessibility Basics: education-focused instruction on alternative text, captions, clear writing, color, headings, links, lists, tables, and text contrast.

Need help?

Questions about where to begin? Contact Josh Barton, NCDPI Digital Accessibility Coordinator.

Include a brief description of the content, technology, process, or accessibility question so the request can be directed to the appropriate guidance or support.